Gloucester's players must now prepare for the European Challenge Cup final. Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
I will never forget that night in Kingsholm. As a very inexperienced Nottingham side we were faced with a formidable Gloucester five of Gordon Sargent, Steve Mills, Phil Blakeway, John Fiedler and Steve Boyle. In the first fight, Fiedler threw a punch and hit me right on the nose. I did not then know that discretion is a part of valor, and foolishly I asked him: “Is this the best you can do?” When we stood up, he caught me again, twice, and I thought, “No, really?”
I've always liked Gloucester. I believe this is a real rugby club; rooted in the city, populated by ordinary fans and living without the generosity of the sugar daddy. If you've played in front of the Shed, you know that Gloucester fans can be savvy and loud, but ultimately they respect good rugby and good players, no matter where they come from. I will always cherish the standing ovation I received when I left a top rugby club for Harlequins.
Given that affection, it was the saddest spectacle to see Glos thrash Northampton 90 points to nil on Saturday. If it was a harrowing experience for the players, think about the fate of the fans who traveled to the Midlands and paid to watch the capitulation. Looking through various fan forums, to say that Gloucester fans are unhappy is an understatement. They are embarrassed not only by the score, but also by the fact that their team failed to compete in almost every area of the field.
The disaster stems from Gloucester manager George Skivington's decision to rest all but three of the players who qualified for last week's European Challenge Cup final. Without making any concession to fan sentiment, Skivington said after the game that selection decisions were based on the fact that the club did not have a large squad and had to manage a number of “worn-out” players ahead of the final. in two weeks.
George Skivington said he had to deal with the 'battered' players before the European Challenge Cup final in Gloucester. Photo: Bob Bradford/Getty Images
Skivington's statements did not attract much attention from many fans, some of whom demanded that he resign due to the devaluation of the club's image. Other observers tried to widen the debate by saying the defeat proved that the decision to ban relegation from the Premier League was wrong and was an indirect reason for the record loss of margin. We need to pause and consider reality before endorsing any of these statements because they don't add up when looked at closely.
Before we do that, it is correct to say that such non-competitive games do not affect the image of the Premier League, which has produced many entertaining games this season. It's also right to feel sympathy for the fans who spent time and money to go see it. Then the question is what to do about it? Do you support introducing a rule that would require any team to field a certain number of its international or best players? If this is the case, you have an added benefit for clubs with larger, more expensive squads as they can rotate players much more easily. In any case, how would you rate who is or is not the best player?
Let's not pretend this is the first time a club has done what Skivington did. Several other teams have made similar choices, including Saracens, the league's leading club in recent times. The fact that Saracens can still compete with a virtual second team actually supports rather than detracts from Skivington's logic. In the end, the bias of the outcome will determine Skivington's wisdom. Win the final and almost everyone will forget this defeat, no matter what they say now. Losing – well, such a decision could lead to dismissal.
I don't support those taking the sacking line because the reality is that this decision will give Gloucester their best chance of winning a game in which they will start as clear underdogs anyway. Another thing to consider is that their final opponents, the Sharks, decided to continue qualifying and lost three Springboks to injury over the weekend. What would the fans' reaction be if Skivington had done the same?
Finally, the relegation claim is wrong. With only one team losing before the ring fencing, Gloucester aren't in that position anyway. In addition, we saw equally severe defeats during the departure. Remember Leicester's 83-10 win over Newcastle in 2005, which saw the Falcons finish seventh that year. The idea that relegation will solve this problem is absurd. There is no reason to believe that Ealing Trailfinders would have done better given the same selection dilemma.
We will have to wait and see what happens over the next two weeks against Gloucester. We also have to give them credit for investing in their women's team, which is running away from the Women's Rugby Premiership.
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